Haiti is experiencing a resurgence of cholera, which according to figures from the Ministry of Public Health, already leaves 224 confirmed cases and 16 deaths to date, although the figures could be much higher. In addition, its capital is controlled by gangs that prevent the passage of medical personnel and humanitarian aid. The UN proposed sending foreign military forces to retake control and deal with the country’s crisis.
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, said that the only way to contain the bacterial disease is by allowing health teams access to the areas affected by the outbreak.
The cases have been reported in two areas of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, which is currently under the control of criminal gangs, which make it difficult for the inhabitants to access humanitarian aid.
“The affected areas are insecure and controlled by gangs, which makes it very difficult to collect samples and delays laboratory confirmation of cases and deaths,” said the WHO director general.
He also indicated that he believes it is very likely that there are cases prior to the first ones that were detected and reported during the first days of October. On the other hand, he gave a piece of calm and said that the WHO is working with the Ministry of Health to coordinate epidemiological surveillance, access to drinking water, sanitation and vaccination.
For its part, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was also concerned and said on Wednesday that due to the security situation that Haiti is experiencing, efforts to control the resurgence of the disease are being hindered.
Carissa Etienne, outgoing director of PAHO, pointed out that the child population is being strongly affected, with a quarter of the cases in children between 1 and 4 years of age.
“As of today, for example, only 41% of Haitian children have been fully vaccinated against measles and 51% against polio. This is below recommended levels and leaves Haiti at high risk of more outbreaks,” he added.
Etienne also warned that this outbreak affects other “health priorities”, such as vaccination campaigns, infant feeding, programs against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.
The PAHO director also said that she is working with the Haitian health authorities and expressed confidence in their experience in managing cholera, knowledge they have acquired in previous outbreaks.
Haiti had already managed to eradicate cholera in its territory
The cholera virus had already affected Haiti in 2010 and managed to be eradicated in 2019, after claiming the lives of more than 10,000 people. The UN recognized that the virus was introduced by the blue helmets, soldiers of the international organization who were deployed in the country to carry out humanitarian work.
The UN acknowledged in 2016 that some of its soldiers who were on a special mission dumped feces into the Artibonite River, spreading the virus throughout the country.
In February 2022, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health held a ceremony to celebrate the elimination of cholera in the country, after a full year without registering new infections.
Cholera is an infectious-contagious disease that is transmitted by the consumption of water and food contaminated with human fecal matter, which causes chronic diarrhea in those infected.
Cholera occurs mainly in places where there is difficulty in accessing sanitation infrastructure and lack of drinking water, such as Haiti, listed as the poorest country in the Americas.
The UN recommended that Haitians take precautionary measures such as boiling water for drinking or cooking, regular hand washing, and protecting food from rodents and insects, as these can carry the virus.
The UN urged to send international military reinforcements to Haiti
António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, proposed last Sunday to send an “international rapid action force” made up of soldiers to help the Government regain control of Port-au-Prince.
“The force, in particular, would support the Haitian National Police primarily in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area to ensure the free movement of water, fuel, food and medical supplies from major ports and airports to communities and health facilities,” he said. Guterres.
This is in response to a request made last week by the Haitian government, which requested military assistance to deal with the situation.
The Caribbean country is experiencing a strong socio-political crisis taken to the extreme since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Since then, the now Prime Minister Ariel Henry has assumed power in the country, a gesture that has caused discomfort in thousands of Haitians for considering it illegitimate and criticizing it for not calling elections.
Armed gangs currently control parts of the Haitian capital, which has caused the supply of food, medicine, fuel and health aid to be blocked to contain the resurgence of cholera.
Protests over the proposal of a foreign military intervention
The UN proposal did not sit well with the civilian population. Since Monday, thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets of Port-au-Prince to demonstrate against a foreign military intervention.
The death of a protester in a confrontation with the police force was reported, in addition to violence and looting in the streets. The petition was also rejected by the Haitian Senate.
This would not be the first time that the UN sends military assistance to the country, between 2004 and 2017, the international organization sent its blue helmets, then replaced them with a police operation, which lasted two years and then with a political mission, still in progress. validity.
However, the presence of the blue helmets in the country is highly controversial and criticized, since this body has been involved in past scandals of sexual abuse and assault and the spread of cholera in the nation.
With EFE and local media
